CHAPTER III.
PUSS AND THE PARTRIDGE.
A few days later, as Minnie sat watching Fidelle washing herself,licking her paws, and then putting them on her face and ears, her fatherdrove into the yard, accompanied by a niece, who had come to make them along visit.
Ida Morris was the daughter of Mr. Lee's only sister. She was a lovelygirl of fourteen, having long been the companion and especial charge ofher widowed mother.
Mrs. Morris had now gone to Europe with her son, who was an invalid, andIda had come to stay at her uncle's until their return.
Minnie had not seen her cousin for a year; but she knew from her parentsthat Ida was frank and good tempered, and very fond of pets.
When she heard the carriage, therefore, she ran joyfully to meet andwelcome her visitor.
Ida had grown very tall within the year, and this afternoon wasexceedingly sad from the parting with her mother and brother, the latterof whom she might never see again; but when she felt Minnie's soft handpressed so lovingly in her own, and heard the eager tones of joy at herarrival, she felt comforted.
Wiping her tear-dimmed eyes, she said, "Uncle George has been telling meabout your pets; and you, dear Minnie, shall be mine."
Fidelle presently came and jumped in Ida's lap, to the surprise of Mrs.Lee and Minnie.
"Why, here is the beautiful cat I saw last year," cried the young girl;"can it be possible that she remembers me? You know I petted her a greatdeal."
"I have no doubt that is the case," answered her aunt; "otherwise Ishould be at a loss to account for her sudden fondness. She is usuallyvery shy with strangers."
Ida stroked the soft, silky hair, and seemed almost as much in love withthe puss as Minnie herself was, while Fidelle purred and purred, andlovingly licked the hand that fondled her.
"Oh, cousin!" cried Minnie, her cheeks glowing with animation, "we dohave such good times reading stories about birds and animals. We arereading about the cat now. Father says there is something in his booksabout every one of my pets."
"I hope I may be a listener, then."
"Oh, yes, indeed! While you are here, you are to be my ownty, downtysister, and I shall try to make you happy."
Ida kissed her; then they adjourned to the dining hall, where they hadbeen summoned to tea. Fidelle, knowing she was not allowed there at mealtimes, reluctantly remained behind.
In the evening, when the candles were lighted, Minnie begged her fatherto go on with the stories, to which he willingly consented; but first hesaid,--
"I suppose you know, Minnie, that the cat belongs to the same family asthe lion, the tiger, the panther, the leopard, and several other wildanimals. The tiger and cat are very similar in form and feature; theyhave the same rounded head and pointed ears; the long, lithe body,covered with fine, silky hair, often beautifully marked; the silent,stealthy step, occasioned by treading on the fleshy ball of the foot;the same sharp claws; the same large, lustrous eyes, capable, from theexpansive power of the pupil, of seeing in the dark; the whiskered lip;the carnivorous teeth; and a tongue covered with bony prickers.
"In many of their habits, too, they are alike. In their natural state,they sleep a great part of the time, only rousing themselves whenpressed by hunger. Then they are alike in lying in wait for their prey,not hunting it, like the wolf and dog; but after watching patiently forit, as I have often seen Fidelle watch for a mouse, they steal alongwith their supple joints and cushioned feet till within springingdistance of their victims, when they dart upon them with an angry growl.
"Though cats are very plenty now, they were not always so. The Egyptiansvenerated cats, as a type of one of their gods. To slay a cat was deathby law. When a cat died, the family to which it belonged mourned as fora child. It was carried to a consecrated house, embalmed, and wrapped inlinen, and then buried with religious rites, at Bulastes, a city ofLower Egypt, being placed in a sepulchre near the altar of the principaltemple.
"The Mohammedans have an extraordinary reverence for them; and atraveller, of whom I once read, saw at Damascus a hospital for cats,which was a large building walled around, and said to be full of them.
"This singular institution, well supported by public alms, originated inthe fact that Mahomet brought a cat to Damascus, which he kept carefullyin the sleeve of his gown, and fed with his own hands. He even preferredcutting off the sleeve of his robe, rather than to disturb the reposeof his favorite, who had fallen asleep in it.
"I remember a curious story, which is told of Cambyses, a Persiangeneral, who conquered Thebes by placing in front of the Persian army acorps of cats, giving to each of his soldiers, employed in the attack,instead of a buckler a live cat, and other animals venerated by theEgyptians.
"Not daring to advance upon these animals, the Theban garrison fell, asthe wily Persian commander anticipated, an unresisting prey to hisstratagem."
"And do you remember," said Mrs. Lee, to her husband, "that Moncrieffsays an insult offered a cat by a Roman was the cause of an insurrectionamong the Egyptians?"
"Yes, and the same writer states that even after death, these animalswere held so sacred, that they were often deposited in the niches ofthe catacombs. If they were killed, even by accident, the murderer wasgiven up to the rabble to be buffeted to death.
"Now, Minnie, that I have made so long a speech, for your benefit, onthe high esteem with which cats have been regarded, I will read you amost remarkable instance of the sagacity of one of them."
"In the summer of 1800, a physician of Lyons was summoned to court, andrequested to inquire into a murder that had been committed on a woman inthat city. He accordingly went to the residence of the deceased, wherehe found her extended on the floor, and weltering in her blood.
"A large white cat was mounted on the cornice of the cupboard, at thefarther end of the apartment, where he seemed to have taken refuge. Hesat motionless, with his eyes fixed on the corpse, his attitude andlooks expressing horror and affright.
"The next morning the room was filled with officers and soldiers; butstill the cat remained exactly in the same position, entirelyundisturbed by the clattering of the soldiers' arms, or the loudconversation of the company.
"But as soon as the suspected persons were brought in, his eyes glaredwith fury, his hair bristled, he darted into the middle of theapartment, where he stopped for a moment to gaze at them, and thenprecipitately retreated. This he repeated three times, to the amazementof the spectators.
"The assassins returned his gaze with terror. They who had but a momentbefore been so bold, now became confused; and all their wickedeffrontery left them. They were condemned, and afterwards acknowledgedthat, in the presence of the cat, they, for the first time during thewhole course of the horrid business, felt their courage forsake them."
"That was an awful story," remarked Mrs. Lee, having watched Minnie'sshudder of horror. "I hope you have something more lively."
"Yes, here is an account of an attachment which was formed between a catand a dog. The story is quite amusing."
"Mr. Weuzel, a writer on natural history, gives an account of a cat anddog, which became so attached to each other that they would neverwillingly be asunder. Whenever the dog got any choice morsel, he wassure to divide it with his whiskered friend. They always ate sociablyout of one plate, slept in the same bed, and daily walked out together.
"Wishing," continues Mr. Weuzel, "to put their friendship to the proof,I one day took the cat by herself into my room, while I had the dogguarded in another apartment. I entertained the cat in a most sumptuousmanner, wishing to see what sort of a meal she would make without herfriend.
"She enjoyed the treat with great glee, and seemed to have entirelyforgotten her table companion. I had had a partridge for dinner, half ofwhich I intended to keep for my supper; my wife covered it with a plate,and put it in a cupboard, the door of which she did not lock.
"The cat left the room, and I walked out on business, my wife sitting atwork in an adjoining apartment. When I returned, she r
elated to me thefollowing:--
"The cat, having hastily left the dining room, went to the dog, andmewed uncommonly loud, and in different tones of voice, which the dogfrom time to time answered with a short bark. Then they both went to thedoor of the room where the cat had dined, and waited till it was opened.One of my children opened the door, and the two friends entered theapartment. The mewing of the cat excited my wife's attention. She rosefrom her seat, and stepped softly up to the door, which stood ajar, toobserve what was going on.
"The cat led the dog at once to the cupboard which contained thepartridge, pushed off the plate which covered it, and taking out myintended supper, laid it before her canine friend, who devoured itgreedily. No doubt the cat, by her mewing, had made him understand whatan excellent meal she had made, and how sorry she was that he had notparticipated in it; but at the same time had told him there wassomething left for him in the cupboard, and persuaded him to follow herthere.
"Since that time, I have paid particular attention to these animals, andam convinced that they communicate to each other whatever seemsinteresting to either."